Intervention
by ringanybells
Summary: Just a couple of one-shots set at the end of Let's Get It Ahn. Un-related to each other, M&M fluff, really.
1. Never Leave Me

[_A/N: This is just a couple of one shots from _Let's Get It Ahn_. The three stories are unrelated. I nearly cried during Marshall's toast, and when he found out she was engaged. I felt so bad for him. But Mary couldn't meet his eyes during either of those scenes, so I know we'll have a little M/M soon. Not to mention the fact that Raphael and Brandi were looking a bit to cozy once again. Well finger's crossed that this whole engagement thing goes away quickly. Enjoy.]_

Mary stepped away from the impromptu engagement party that her coworkers had thrown together for her, pulling out her phone so that it seemed like she was checking her messages. In reality, she needed an opportunity to compose herself after Marshall's toast. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but him saying 'I love you,' had been nowhere on the list. She needed a minute to catch her breath, because those three words had made her heart swell.

"You love him, don't you?" Eleanor's voice caused Mary to jump. She hadn't been expecting anyone to come looking for her just yet.

"Who, Raph?" The fact that Mary even had to specify convinced Eleanor that she was right.

Eleanor shook her head, "No, Marshall." She watched Mary's eyes go from caught to defensive. She quickly continued, "I saw your face when he gave his toast, when he said he loved you. Your eyes lit up."

Mary was up against the wall, not sure which way to turn. She could deny Eleanor's accusations, the truth in her own heart, or she could admit freely that she loved her partner. Neither seemed like a great plan. Instead, she decided to sidestep the question, "So?"

Eleanor allowed a smile to cross her face. "So, you love him."

Mary caved, unable to deny what she had kept to herself for so long, "I know." A look of apprehension came over her face; she was unsure how Eleanor would handle this information.

But Eleanor surprised her, "Why then, are you wearing another man's engagement ring?"

All of a sudden it was just too much. Mary had been struggling with this engagement since the day of that stupid dinner. And her nerves were shot over how Marshall was reacting to her news. Add to that the stress of her latest witness drama, and she just couldn't put up a front anymore tonight. "Because Raphael is safe."

Confusion clouded Eleanor's face, "Safe?"

Mary let the words come, not pausing to check her them, "Yes, safe. When he leaves me, I'll survive."

Eleanor was still lost. "What are you talking about?"

But Mary's eyes had left Eleanor's and traveled across the room to land on Marshall. She was barely even aware that she was still speaking aloud. "I'm not like you, Eleanor. I know I play the strong and brave inspector on TV, but that's not really me. You lost your husband, and somehow you're still breathing. But I almost lost Marshall once and I knew then, that without him, I wouldn't be able to go on. So when Raph eventually leaves me, I know that I'll be able to survive. And Marshall will be there, because I was smart enough to keep my mouth closed." Mary took a deep breath, her eyes still locked on Marshall.


	2. The Girl In Question

"If I asked you not to marry Raph, would you listen?" Both Marshall's voice and his question came from out of nowhere. The two partners had been sitting in silence, finishing up some paperwork after Mary's engagement party. He hadn't said much to her since his speech. And Mary had been too lost in her own head to worry about filling the silence.

Upon his question though, she looked up, locking eyes with her partner. "Are you planning on asking me not to?" She was confused.

Now that Marshall had started this, he knew he would have to see it through. "I'm talking hypothetical. If I told you not to marry him, would you listen to me?"

Mary tilted her head, as if pondering his question, "As in, just out of the blue, for no reason?"

"No, I would have a reason," Marshall responded evasively.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "But you wouldn't be sharing this reason with me, right?"

"Let's say that I don't."

"Just so I'm clear, you're asking if I would call off my engagement purely because you asked me too?" She recapped the hypothetical situation, just to be sure she understood. In her head, she had been considering the question. But it didn't take her long to know the answer; she was just messing with him now.

"Yea, that's about right." Marshall tried to prepare himself. He was pretty sure there would be yelling, most likely violence or flying object of some kind. He may even get the silent treatment for the rest of the night.

"Yes." Mary's answer was short and sweet. She lowered her eyes and went back to her paperwork, considering the subject settled.

Marshall was sitting there dumbfounded. He hadn't been expecting her to say yes. In fact, he had expected any response but acquiescence. He stuttered over his response, "Wait, what did you say?"

Mary looked up, somewhat surprised to see Marshall's dropped jaw. "I said I'd listen to you." She returned to her paperwork once again.

"That's what I thought you said. You're messing with me right? Playing with my head?" He pushed back slightly from his desk, giving up on his paperwork in lieu of this conversation.

Mary looked up once more. "No, I'm not. If you asked me to give Raph his ring back, I'd do it."

Marshall's voice was full of skepticism. "You'd do it, no questions asked?"

Mary let out a chuckle. "Who said anything about no questions asked? Of course I'd ask questions. And when you refused to answer them, I'd probably try to beat the answers out of you." She stood up and walked across the room to lean against his desk, her leg brushing against his as she sat on top of his abandoned paperwork. "But if you asked, it would mean you had a good reason, whether I knew what it was or not. And since I know you only want good things for me, I would trust that your telling me to walk away from Raph would be for the best."

Marshall was speechless. He couldn't believe the words his partner had just uttered. "You would trust me?"

She was a little hurt by his blatant surprise. She couldn't block the slight hint of pain or the venom that colored her response. "Yes, I would trust you. I put my life in your hands every time I go out in the field. You're the person I tell my stories to and count on to back me up no matter what. At the end of the day, you're what I'm sure of." Her voice had softened by the end of her little rant.

"I just meant, I mean, I know you trust me on the job, but normally when I try to give you advice about your life, you tend to…to, well, snap." He stuttered over his response, not wanting to upset her again.

"Of course I do, doofus. But after the snapping and the mocking, I usually listen. Or at least consider your advice."

Marshall considered this, and realized she was right. She might give him a hard time about his advice, but she often listened to him. "That's true, I was just a little taken aback by your response, to the original question, I mean."

"I don't know why. You know you're my best friend, Marshall. I have a tendency to rush into things without really thinking some times. And I usually fail to see some really obvious warning signs when my personal life is involved. And I have a tendency to invite heartbreak and disappointment into my home. But I know I can count on you to catch what I miss, and to warn me of the signs, and to hold me back long enough to consider a situation. I trust your judgment, and I trust you."

Marshall was a little taken aback by her words. He had never really realized how much his opinion mattered to Mary. He dropped his eyes, not sure enough to look at her when he asked for another reassurance. "So if I asked..?"

"I'd listen." She answered matter of factly. Then she reached out and raised his face to look into her eyes. "Are you asking?"

Marshall kept his eyes trained on hers, wondering if she could read the emotions in his own. Since she uttered those words in the diner, he had been imagining a million different scenarios in which he told her she shouldn't go through with this wedding. Now she was giving him just that opportunity. And yet he hesitated to take it. He knew Mary, he was afraid that intervening would bring them to a head, and that she would shut down, or worse run off.

But the way she was looking into his eyes, was just too much. Her eyes were full of what he could only guess was lust, or love. And she was leaning into him, invading his space. After three years, he was just too tired of denying himself what he wanted most. So he leaned forward, took her face in his hands and kissed her.

To his surprise, she returned the kiss. She slid off of his desk and into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her.

When they finally pulled apart, he held her tight, not letting her move too far away. "Yeah, I'm asking." Mary let out a small chuckle and pulled him to her again. She had been waiting a long time for this.

And sitting on her desk, already forgotten in Mary's mind, was the engagement ring that she had never really wanted, from the man that she could never love.


	3. Waiting In The Wings

Mary looked over at her partner. Eleanor and Stan were on the other side of the room, planning her wedding, but Marshall had secluded himself away from the others. She needed to talk to him. She crossed the room, coming up behind his turned back. "Hey, Marshall, can I talk to you for a minute."

Marshall took a second to compose his face, pretending to be happy for Mary was taking a lot out of him. Then he turned around, "Yea, of course Mary, what can I do for you?"

"I know you had your heart set on being my maid of honor, but I can't have you up there looking better in a dress than me, so that's out."

Marshall allowed a smile to cover his features. At least Mary hadn't changed, yet. "Darn."

Mary forced a smile onto her face, she needed to keep this next part light. In thirty years, she had built up a few calluses. When it came to her broken family, she could keep her composure under most any circumstances. This was the one that always got her. "I know this is a lot to ask, but…OK, when I was little, I actually wanted the whole white wedding thing-the dress, the cake- the whole nine yards. But after my dad left, I kind of gave up on that dream. I actually kind of came to hate that dream. When I ran off at sixteen for my first marriage, I skipped the whole traditional thing. I came to pretty much hate the idea of a normal wedding, because I knew I'd never have the whole package. I figured I can have the perfect dress, the perfect location, the four tier cake, and the perfect center piece, but I'll never have someone who loves me walk me down the aisle, so what's the point?" She tried to discreetly wipe the tears that were building in her eyes.

"What exactly are you asking me, Mary?" Marshall had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew exactly what was coming. Marshall put his hands on Mary's shoulders, as much to steady himself as to comfort her.

"What you said, in the toast, you're the first person who's said that to me since my father that I actually believe means it. I was wondering if, maybe, if you would walk me down the aisle?" Mary averted her eyes. She could feel the tears there. She didn't want Marshall to see just how much this meant to her.

It took Marshall a moment to find his voice. "Mary, I'd be honored, really. Are you sure?" Marshall tried to keep the pain out of his voice, but he knew he was failing miserably. Marshall's last piece of hope shattered.

She kept her eyes averted, knowing the tears were still there, and that they were growing because Marshall had not given the right answer. She had been so sure that Marshall wouldn't let _this _opportunity slip away. She had had enough though. She had put her heart on the line, asking him to walk her down the aisle, and he was leaving her hanging. She broke his contact with her shoulders, pushing him back. ""No, I'm not sure, you idiot. You aren't supposed to feel honored, you're supposed to be pissed. What the hell is wrong with you? Are you blind? Were you really going to give me away to another guy?" Her voice came out with all the exasperation of a woman who'd waited too long for a man to make his move. Finally, she snapped; she was through waiting. "Ya know, I spent almost eighteen hours in that damn basement and you're the only person I wanted to see when I got out. I sat by your hospital bed after you were shot for hours waiting for your stupid ass to wake up. I love you, Marshall, I'm lost without you. You're the first person I talk to most mornings and the last person I see most nights. You're the only person whose phone calls I don't dodge and, lord knows, if anyone else had ever tried to talk to me about my father, I would have laid them out. What do you think has been going on for the least two years?" Mary finished her rant breathless.

Marshall was speechless. He looked around to notice that both Stan and Eleanor had stopped their discussion and were watching the two partners. He brought his eyes back to Mary's and asked the only question he could think of. "Then why are you marrying Raphael, and not me?"

Mary let her anger take her, answering honestly, "Because you didn't ask. I've been waiting for you to make a move for ages. I was so sure you would say something after you got shot; we were so close in that gas station. And then I got taken, I was terrified that they'd kill me and I'd never get to see you again. But you saved me, which I knew you would. I thought maybe that would be enough to force you to admit you had feelings for me, but then I had my breakdown. And we both know you're too much of a gentleman to even consider making a move on me in that state. But this year has been one bad situation after another. What has to happen for you to open your eyes?" She let out an aggravated sigh, running her hands through her hair. "I thought maybe at the diner, you'd speak up. But no, you hug me and say congratulations. And then they ask you to make the toast, and you say the most beautiful things I've ever heard, but still you don't have the balls to step to the plate. I thought maybe asking you to walk me down the aisle would be the final straw for you but still you can't be the one to make the first move. Jesus, do I have to do everything?"

And with that she leaned forward and kissed Marshall. She threw everything that had been building between them for the last two years into that kiss hoping that he would understand. Accepting Raph's proposal had been a rash mistake, she knew that now. She had been second guessing herself since she'd taken the ring. But the final piece of evidence that she and Raph weren't meant to be had clicked while she and Marshall had been sitting in that diner. He had asked her if she was happy, and she had been unable to meet his eyes. Being in love with her partner wasn't a revelation, she'd known for ages. But she'd been afraid of being the one to change things. It was obvious that Marshall felt the same way, so she figured she could count on him to make the first move. A year and a half later, and she would have been better off doing it herself back in that run down gas station. She couldn't marry Raph, not when she loved her partner, but she couldn't just ignore her feelings for Marshall any longer either.

So she had decided to present him with this golden opportunity. What better time to tell a girl you love her than when she asks you to give her away? She had thought that would be the last straw for Marshall. Sure, it was manipulative, and bitchy, and sneaky, and mean, but she'd been waiting a very long time and she didn't have the best track record with patience. And still, he hadn't told her not to do it. She pulled back now, searching her eyes, suddenly terrified that she had misread some signals along the way.

But it was all there in Marshall's eyes, the love, the desire, the embarrassment. "I don't know I kind of like it when you do that." He pulled her in this time, showing her he was fully capable of making the required moves. She was the one to pull away, again. He stopped her, wrapping his arms around her to keep her close. "I was afraid that if I said something, you'd turn tail and run as fast as you could in the other direction. I was determined to keep you in my life no matter what, even if it meant settling for just your partner. I'm sorry."

Mary's eyes softened. Now that she'd finally gotten to really kiss him, she didn't care who had started it, she was just happy to be in his arms. "It's okay. I mean, to be fair, I'm not the most approachable person when it comes to feelings. But we're on the same page now, right?" She wanted to be sure he understood what she was saying.

"You mean the page where you give Raph back that ring and tell him to move out? Or perhaps the one where you and I ditch this party to go have one of our own?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Mary let the first true smile she'd had in awhile fill her face. "Yeah, that would be the spread. I'll meet you at your place in an hour." She leaned in and kissed him again. Then she was out of his arms and at the door. Just before it closed, she turned around and leveled a look of pure joy at Marshall. "By the way, _now_ I'm happy."


End file.
